Areas of Study

History (Major, Minor)

ONU offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. All of the history faculty hold the Ph.D. or other advanced degrees. Faculty research and teaching interests include ancient, medieval, modern European, colonial American, modern American, East Asian, Caribbean, African, African-American and sport history. Our students are taught to emphasize research and writing and are encouraged to present their findings at professional meetings. Our history majors have consistently gone on to graduate school in history, law school, teaching, and graduate study in museums and archives.

Political Science (Major, Minor)

ONU offers a Bachelor of Arts in political science, as well as a minor in the subject. All members of the political science faculty hold Ph.Ds. Faculty research and teaching interests include American government, state and local politics, and international relations, comparative politics, as well as courses on interest groups, public policy and conflict resolution. Our students engage in undergraduate research and are encouraged to present at professional meetings. Recent graduates have gone to graduate school in political science and law school. Others have begun careers in government, public policy, and electoral politics.

Social Studies (Major)

ONU offers a Bachelor of Arts in social studies. The social studies major prepares students for careers in secondary education, and for graduate school. Students who take this major receive a broad background in the social studies, including history, political science, economics, geography, psychology, and sociology, as well as training in professional education techniques. Faculty research and teaching interests include modern U.S., East Asian, sport history and the use of sport to teach the social studies. The social studies major emphasizes students combining classroom content with practical experience, and student teaching experiences are offered in nearby high schools or even in international schools.

Geography (Minor)

The geography minor provides students with the ability to apply geographical concepts to their majors. Students may choose to concentrate on area studies, geographic information systems (GIS), or focus on multiple branches within geography, including political, population, historical geography. Area studies emphasizes the exploration of cultural systems from around the world. GIS emphasizes learning and applying techniques used by geographers to map data from various sources. Faculty who teach in the minor have their Ph.D's in geography, history, or political science. Faculty teaching and research interests include practical use of GIS, congressional redistricting, climatology, and Historical GIS.

International Studies (Minor)

The International Studies minor allows students to complement their major program through interdisciplinary coursework examining the complex global relationships between nations that shape the world today. The minor provides significant contextual knowledge for students given the growing global interconnectedness across occupations (including government, business, health, and engineering).

Public History/Museum Studies (Minor)

The public history/museum studies minor exposes students to the techniques and practices that will allow graduates to work in museums, for the National Park Service, for state historical societies or in other public history careers. Students have the opportunity to explore careers in either museum or public history, or both, learning the skills to work with historical collections and creating exhibits. Faculty research and teaching interests include material culture, popular music, sport history and oral history. As part of this minor, students must complete a public service internship working in a museum, at a state historical society or the like. Recent graduates are working for the Smithsonian, Ohio Historical Society, National Archives, and COSI.

Public Policy (Minor)

A minor in Public Policy develops skills that are needed for strategic decision-making in business and technical professions, including health, education, and engineering. Public Policy is the product of choices made by governments that drive public investments, create rules, establish services and security, guide and regulate markets and businesses, or allocate benefits and costs to citizens. Students pursuing a Public Policy minor will learn to formulate, evaluate, and promote policy options that can make a difference in their communities. The minor is an excellent complement to students from programs across the university, including business, health, engineering, education, and prelaw.